Planning GIS

The Planning Section in Laois County Council would be one of the major customers of GIS technology, with a wide range of systems in place that service planners, administration staff, technicians and the public.

PLANREG is a Planning analysis tool designed to allow planners to extract information about Planning Applications and sites from the iPlan SQL database. The system also allows the user to view all the OS mapping and the planning restriction areas within the county e.g. NHAs, SACs etc. In addition, there are extensive querying tools for Planners for the purposes of analysis and reporting.

Specific PlanReg Features:

• Generates custom and expert queries
• Creates Notification reports
• Returns information from iPlan
• Searches by Location, Application Number, Name or Address
• Incorporates Map Handler allowing users to turn on and off OS Maps
• Incorporates a wide range of GIS layers relevant to the Planning process
• Selects all planning applications within a buffer region
• Has a restricted access facility to allow the application to be available to the public

PLANNING REGISTER DATASETS GIS (PRG GIS) enables the digitising of the Planning Register and the management of the Planning Register GIS Datasets. The Planning and Development Act, 2000, Part I, Section 7 sets out the required content of the Planning Register, which must be maintained by the planning authority. This software is used by planning GIS technicians only.

The Planning Register Datasets GIS has the following functions:

• Enables planning staff to digitise/edit the planning register with a point to represent the location of a Planning Application and a polygon to outline the site boundary if required
• Points and sites for other "non-application" datasets may also be digitised/edited, for example, Unauthorized Developments (Enforcements), Architectural Information (AIS), Landscape Conservation Areas, Derelict Sites etc.
• The facility to attach/detach OS maps
• The ability to perform Gazetteer and address searches
• Integrates iPlan, Enforcements and AIS SQL Server Databases

IPLAN is used to process and monitor planning applications through the different stages of the planning process from receipt to decision, applying the time constraints as determined by planning acts.

The system,

• Provides facilities to record and process planning applications from their receipt to their determination
• Incorporates many of the requirements of the Planning & Development Act 2000
• Can be accessed via the browser on desktops throughout the planning section
• Automatically generates all the correspondence associated with the process
• Contains over fifty correspondence templates; it also provides facilities to enable sites to create their own set
• Utilises Crystal Reports to provide the many lists and reports it produces including the provision of 'Weekly Lists' detailing all applications received, refused and granted etc.
• Provides comprehensive monitoring of all applications been processed enabling the user to determine what point in the process all applications are and in particular provides details of all applications due for decision
• Generates Departmental Quarterly and Annual Returns
• Provides facilities to record details of development charges
• Processes Fire Safety Certificates
• Provides seamless access to Imaging and GIS facilities
• Contains integrated security system based on Network login id's

EPLAN – This is an internet version of IPlan available to the public on the Laois County Council website.  Follow this link to access to EPLAN.  A member of the public can look up the status of any planning application within the county and can search for each application by applicant name, address or number. There is also a “GIS Button” on the results page of each application that allows the user to view a location map of each site. This GIS tool was developed within Laois County Council through Geomedia WebMap and is unique to Laois.ie.

GPLAN - This is an internet version which allows the users to see our GIS maps.  The system allows the user to search planning applications by townland name or planning application number and zoom to the exact location of a planning application. Follow this link to use GPLAN.